The following “Dear Colleague” letter was sent by the office of Rep.
Alcee Hastings to other Members of the U.S. House of Representatatives.

Dear Colleague:

In the past 90 years, the U.S. has become the
second most underrepresented democracy in the entire world, but the
size of the House of Representatives has remained the same. In
the past 90 years, U.S. population has more than tripled, but the size
of the House of Representatives has remained the same. In the
past 90 years, four states have joined the Union, but the size of the
House of Representatives has remained the same. In fact, in the
past 90 years, Congress has addressed permanently increasing the size
of the House of Representatives only once.

British House of Commons

659 Members

1 Member per 90,288 people

Canadian House of Commons

301 Members

1 Member per 103,924 people

South Africa National Assembly

400 Members

1 Member per 108,553 people

German Bundestag

669 Members

1 Member per 123,752 people

Austrailia House of Representatives

148 Members

1 Member per 129,521 people

Japan Shugi-in

500 Members

1 Member per 253,100 people

Russia State Duma

450 Members

1 Member per 324,447 people

Nigeria House of Representatives

360 Members

1 Member per 342,605 people

Brazil Camara dos Deputados

513 Members

1 Member per 467,190 people

U.S. House of Representatives

435 Members

1 Member per 645,632 people

Indian Lok Sabha

552 Members

1 Member per 1,836,963 people

While the U.S. claims the title “Leader of the
Free World,” after India, it is the least representative democracy in
the world! If you don’t believe me, just look at how the U.S.
House of Representatives compares to other democratic country’s
representative bodies:

The effect that an increase in the size of the
House of Representatives will have on the American political system is
obvious. Increasing the size of the House will result in a
reduced amount of campaign spending, smaller Congressional districts,
more personal interaction between Members of Congress and their
constituents, and most importantly, better representation for the
American people.

On February 23, 2001, I introduced H.R. 506, a
resolution to create a commission to study the size of the House of
Representatives and the method by which representatives are
chosen. I invite you to become a cosponsor of this essential
piece of legislation aimed at putting the power back into the hands of
the people. If you would like to become a cosponsor or have any
questions, please contact me or David Goldenberg on my staff at 5-1313.

In Detroit, there have been three mayors in the past two years and the current one has come under scrutiny. Perhaps a system like instant runoff voting will help bring political stability to motor city.